Past projects 27
Virtual Read-Aloud
Funded May 21, 2020Books are what I base most of my reading and writing on. I pick a good piece of literature and from there simply read to enjoy it. I then, make connections to a theme or reread the book to see how an author crafted it. The One and Only Ivan book is one of my favorites. With this book, the author incorporates her own language, similes and themes that are universal. Kids learn about sacrifice and friendship through memorable characters. This book in particular ALWAYS make us cry and feel a special connection to the characters. Kids then try to "imitate" how the author writes and use the words that she uses in personal narratives.
As a teacher, its my job to introduce books to students that they may not have otherwise chosen. I feel that giving books time and importance in the classroom helps kids really make connections. The One and Only Ivan has a sequel, "The One and Only Bob". When that book came out we had a party and read it all together. Years later students say that the books we read together are ones that they remember the most.
Thank you for your generous gift,”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and 2 other donors.Build it, at Home
Funded May 6, 2020Thank you very much for your donation. I used these products at then end of the school year during the pandemic. It was a very difficult time then and now. I wanted to have a project that would engage students as engineers and motivate them to be creative. I assembled all the kits for the students and passed them out to the families. This alone was special because I was able to see my students for the first time in a couple of months!
Each student got a boat, plane and car kit to build. I created videos where I explained all the materials. I posted these videos on our class Schoology page where kids have assignments. I read books by Andrea Beaty and and showed them videos of how planes, boats and cars worked.
We then worked on the project together during class time and then had the students test them our and record videos of the cars, boats and planes. This project allowed kids to work with parents and design an experiment of their choice. For example, how far the plane would fly, or if their boat floated. Thank you so much giving me the opportunity to work with my kids on a educational hands on project.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
Communicate with me 2.0
Funded Jan 9, 2020Thank you for your donation to my project "Communicate with me". My class has a variety of learners, visual, auditory, tactile. There are may English Learners as well that need extra support and varied instructional strategies to keep them interested and motivated. The Q ball speaker ball is a useful tool to motivate my students and allow them to be heard. This technology is simple, kids can toss the speaker ball to one another and speak into it so everyone can hear. It's an interactive way for everyone to participate.
This technology is helping my kids learn by allowing shy students to speak and be heard by others. Everyone can participate in discussions and give opinions. It's exciting to be able to throw a ball in class! This is what the kids love the most.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by Verizon and 4 other donors.Get a CUE!
Funded Dec 6, 2018Thank you for allowing me to attend the CUE Technology conference for teachers last week in Palm Springs. I was able to attend with two other colleagues that also were funded through Donors Choose. The conference had about 6,000 educators with the same ideas as me, HOW DO I INFUSE TECH IN MY CLASS TO IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND MOTIVATION? The conclusion I came to after hearing several speakers is that its not really the APP students use, but HOW the technology is being used and directed by the teacher! Pretty simple right! Well it is but since I am limited in what I use currently to some tried and true sites, I was introduced to quite a few that stand our such as PEAR DECK, site that makes slides and presentations more interactive. I also had the opportunity to learn more about the DESIGN THINKING process which helps kids broaden how they look at problems like an engineer. Another highlight for me was hearing the keynote speakers discuss how to gain student motivation and empowerment. It was interesting how "quiet", "shy" students have as much insight and opinions as everyone else and that I as an educator should not look down on their "quiet" qualities. All in all it was overwhelming and awesome! My brain was definitely full of food for thought and I returned to my class a eager to share the learning with my kids.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by 3M.We Love Sports!
Funded Mar 27, 2018My name is Ms. Castillo. I work in Los Angeles. This year my students LOVED to play soccer and sports. They were very competitive and challenged themselves every time we played outside with our equipment. The students pictured, said to me one day, "You know Ms. Castillo, PE is my favorite thing to do everyday! That's why I have perfect attendance!". To me, it may just seem like a time to play, but for him, it was what was getting him to school everyday!
Don't underestimate the power of fun and sports! Thank you for supporting my class and all my school that will use and benefit from your donations! We continue to use all our materials this year! THANK YOU!!! May you be blessed a hundred time over for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by DICK'S Sporting Goods Foundation - Sports Matter and one other donor.Get Out and Play!
Funded Mar 27, 2018As you can see my students were ecstatic to receive our packages and supplies for Physical Education. My Students LOVE to play soccer so they immediately wanted to run out and play. We have a small patch of grass which is perfect for they to run and play at. For the end of the school year, we used the equipment for physical education and the school soccer team. We will continue using our balls end equipment this upcoming school year for any class that wants to practice drills and play games. The whole school will have access to equipment and be able to learn specific skills. Thank You so much for your generosity!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by Ripple.Summer Math Fun with Zeal!
Funded Jun 26, 2017Thank you so much for this gift of on line tutoring. Some ways that I have integrated technology in the past have been though word processing, research, on line reading and math games, power point presentations etc. Recently my district has launched a learning management system where we can post assignment and link them with Goggle docs. This may seem easy, but many students only practice with academic tasks at school. Some may have tablets, but use them to watch online videos and play games.
Zeal Math on line tutoring was a great opportunity for my students and for me to use it for math content practice. My student were very surprised and excited to hear that the tutor was actually talking to them online. This part of the tutoring made it very appealing to them and they looked forward to logging on. I learned that although many kids do have access to Internet, none of them except for two logged on at home because they also share devices with other siblings or parents. In order for the tutoring to be most effective it had to be done at school for 30 minutes each session we logged on. Zeal math is challenging and keeps students engaged.
Zeal made a big impact on a student in my class that has difficulty with reading, but very strong in Math. Since the problems are read aloud, she was able to work mostly independently. She felt accomplished when she was able to work and be successful.
I still have my students work on Zeal. I continue to encourage parents to log because I feel it is a great value. Thank you for the opportunity to implement Zeal in my classroom!”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by Zeal and one other donor.Building Number Sense
Funded Feb 9, 2017Thank you so much for your support. Our schools focus this year was on Number Talks based on the work by the authors of the books I ordered. The number line, magnetic money, magnetic fraction circles, pockets were very helpful. It haves kids hands on objects "see" math in action. We use them daily and Greg as seen in the picture loves the being responsible for the materials! I have also shared my books with colleagues at grade level planning meetings and staff development. Your support is truly appreciated.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
21st century technology- Get Creative with 3D Doodlers pens!
Funded Jan 13, 2017Thank you! These pens are a great way to integrate technology, art, creativity, innovation! In my class we have been exploring with them. They are extremely easy to use and kids understand that they are an additional way to demonstrate their knowledge and creativity. We are working on making South American animal sculptures too. The excitement level is very high and students are motivated to work extra hard and have time to use the pens. All students love the pens, but in particular my student with autism is always willing to work a little harder to have extra time to doodle! Thanks again for your support.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez
This classroom project was brought to life by 3Doodler and one other donor.Mercy Watson To The Rescue!
Funded Feb 9, 2017When the boxes of books and bins arrived we were all excited to open them. It felt like Christmas in February! The kids screamed with excitement because we absolutely love the characters that Kate Di Camillo has created. One of the most satisfying things to see was that students we eager to break open their boxes and READ.
Our school uses Readers workshop as a vehicle for reading instruction. Through workshop kids read books they are interested in and, at their level. The Mercy Watson series are of high interest and perfect for teaching vocabulary, story structure, and character analysis. They are especially appealing for to the most reluctant reader because Mercy Watson always stirs up trouble. We will compare the characters and books to find themes series.
Thank you very much for your donation.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. Castillo Gonzalez